On New Year's Eve 2012 Joyce DiDonato became the first singer to take the title role in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda at New York's Metropolitan Opera. With her at its heart, the production became, in the words of Opera magazine, "a high point of the season and of the company's performance history of bel canto operas".
Gramophone DVD of the Month, August 2014. "DiDonato is an absolute knock-out...spellbinding through a perfect combination of singing and acting."